Italian chicken meatballs baked and simmered in a homemade tomato sauce, served over easy sweet potato spaghetti. Gluten-free, allergy-free, and paleo, this delicious version of the classic will quickly become a new family dinner favorite.

By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by California Ripe Olives and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.

Mediterranean cuisine encompasses the likes of Italian, Greek, Turkish, Moroccan, any county that creates the region around the Mediterranean cuisine. That’s why it’s so large, lovely, full of so many flavors and ingredients. One notable ingredient that all these cultures of the cuisine use is olives. Lucky for us here in the states, we have amply supply of California Black Ripe Olives. You know I am pretty fond of black olives already, evidenced here. They are just such a great healthy addition to the diet. From their healthy monounsaturated fats to their values of vitamin E (.25 mg per serving), iron (.49 mg per serving), vitamin A (60 IU per serving), and fiber (.5 grams per serving).Read More

A hearty plant-based meal the whole family will love. This gluten-free, grain-free, and vegan Italian Chickpea Casserole is the perfect weeknight meal to nourish the body with classic and comforting flavors.

I’m never really sure what people use to define a casserole. I assume it just means it was baked in a casserole dish, could easily be freezed in bulk, and provides endless leftovers. When I think of casserole, images of the stereotypical housewife pop in my head. Hair up, apron on, oven mits covering the hands as she bends down to remove the “casserole” from the oven and present it to the family waiting ever so patiently at the table.

What I also imagine is a heavy cheese and meat laden dish full of sadness. It may provide comfort to the family in that moment, but it will leave them dragging and sluggish for sure. We all want a comforting meal at the end of a long winters day, don’t get me wrong, but I think there are better options. Which leads me to my version of a healthy plant-based and allergy-free casserole.

Not only is this super healthy, but it will also leave you satisfied and full of plant-based energy. If I still need to convince you, then let me tell you have easy this is too! All you have to do is gather your ingredients and layer them in a casserole dish. Then bake and serve (or freeze!). I even made a cute step-by-step assembling guide in case you need a visual 😉

Since Italian food just brings images of comfort to mind, I thought I’d roll with that flavor theme. Plus, Italian flavors like tomatoes ad basil and crowd pleasers all-around. From picky children to meat-loving husbands, everyone will love this! This dish makes about 4 servings, but it could easily be doubled or tripled with a larger casserole dish and more ingredients!

Italian Chickpea Casserole

Ingredients: (serves 4)

+ 1 Large Spaghetti Squash (About 3 Cups when cooked and shredded)

+ 2 1/2 Cups Cooked Chickpeas

+ 1 Medium Zucchini Sliced (for 16 slices)

+ 1/2 Cup Sliced Black Olives

+ 3 Large White Mushrooms (for 8 slices)

Homemade Tomato Basil Sauce:

+ 1 Can No-Salt Added Tomato Sauce

+ 1/4 Cup Chipped Fresh Basil

+ 1 Tsp Chopped Garlic

+ 1/2 Tsp Onion Powder

+ 1/4 Tsp Black Pepper

+ 1 TB Dried Parsley

Additional Toppings:

+ 1 to 2 TB Nutritional Yeast

+ 1 TB Dried Parsley (for sprinkling on top)

Directions:

+ Preheat the oven to 350°F.

+ Microwave the spaghetti squash for 5 minutes or until you can easily cut it and fork out the strands. Prep the rest of your veggies and set everything aside.

+ In a bowl combine all the sauce ingredients and give everything a good stir.

+ In a 8×8 casserole dish, assemble the casserole as shown in the above graphic. Start with the squash, chickpeas, zucchini, olives, mushrooms, and finally the sauce. Now top the casserole with nutritional yeast and an extra sprinkle of parsley.

Now that I’ve made my first “casserole”, I think I need to try my hand at some more. They are just too easy and the perfect all-in-one meal.

Have I told you about my un-dieing love for nutritional yeast? I probably poured about 5 more gallons on this after I took the “pretty” pictures. I can’t get enough of that cheesy stuff! So what I mean to say is…the nutritional yeast is NOT optional here 😉 You MUST use it, haha!

Well. I would tell you the story behind this recipe, but I am not. Why? Because it is rather tragic and a bit embarrassing to say the least. Lets just say, I didn’t follow the rules again. But, whatever, I am moving on from that 😉 Instead, I will share a different story. One that may be a bit gross, but now is just funny (at least to me). It is even funnier because the gross part happened to me, but it always bothered my brother and mom so much more than me. I guess it’s because I was so young and really don’t remember it, only the retelling of the story every year we would walk past Snow White’s pizza place on the Wildwood Boardwalk.

Now apparently, this place is rated one of the number one spots on the boardwalk, however, we beg to differ. It was a day many years ago and we stopped in to grab some pizza for lunch. My mom, brother, and I all ordered a few slices and went and sat down at a table in the back. I assume we all started eating, and then I look down and find a white hair (white, get it? Snow White?) on my pizza. Fabulous right? When you are starving and now the food in front of you and everyone else turns into the grossest unappetizing thing. And then I am assuming we threw away out slices and left in search of some more suitable fuel.

Well, from that year on, any time we walked passed that place on the boardwalk, we would all relive and retell the story. Saying “Ew, gross!” under out breath as we walked by. It is funny how these little moments in time, are remembered and held as memories for so long. Yet I can’t remember how to factor a polynomial in math after only a few weeks of taking the test. I digress. But you know what place we found that did have the best pizza on the boardwalk? Sam’s Pizza Palace! My mom fell in love with that place. I am not sure I ever got a chance to eat there though because it came later in the years and I think I was already having my stomach problems then. I do remember they had the best fountain soda because they used this perfect crushed ice in the cup! Ah, ice, I love the stuff 😉 That is one of my favorite things about hotels and the like. Going to the ice machine and filling up cups of ice to munch on! Haha, can I get any more random today?

Now lets talk about this good (hair-less) pizza. Mushrooms were the name of the game but I wanted them to have more flavor then just roasting them on the pizza. Plus I needed to add some protein source to make this more substantial for my tastes. I had always liked a good pepperoni pizza as a kid, I was never a plain jane just cheese girl. In the later years of my pizza eating, I moved on to the gloriousness that is an onion pizza. Stringing white onions, perfect. There was even a time I forayed into the white broccoli pizza. But that was short lived. Too much cheese, I needed the red stuff. Then there was a time where I went for the ultimate gluten pizza a few times. Pasta pizza! Yea, they put penne pasta on a pizza. Another favorite was a Sicilian slice. I loved the thickness (and squareness)!

I never liked mushrooms early enough in my pre-celiac years to enjoy a mushroom pizza, but that is okay beucase I’ve got one now! This pizza combines a few of my favorites. Pepperoni-esque marinated roasted mushrooms and eggplant, olives (another winner), onions, white beans (which take on a faux white pizza look, but really is just a hummus type of spread), and of course, the glorious red stuff. I like using Tomato Paste on my pizzas though more than sauce. It has a more concentrated flavor and if perfect when making just your own personal pizza like this one here. Anyway, this pizza is my new favorite! I could eat this baby everyday. Gluten-free, vegan, soy-free, meat-free perfection on the famous Food For Life Brown Rice Tortilla!

Vegan Pepperoni White Bean Pizza

Ingredients: (serves 1)

White Bean Spread:

+ 1 Cup Cooked White Beans

+ 3 Fresh Basil Leaves (torn)

+ 1/4 Tsp Onion Powder

+ 1/4 Tsp Garlic Powder

+ 1/4 Tsp White Pepper

Marinated Pepperoni Mushrooms and Eggplant:

+ 1 Very Large Portobello Mushroom Cap (5 Slices)

+ 5 Thin Eggplant Rounds

+ 1/2 Tsp Liquid Smoke

+ 1/2 Tsp Smoked Paprika

For the Pizza:

+ 1 Recipe of White Bean Spread

+ Pepperoni Mushrooms and Egglpant

+ 1 Large Brown Rice Tortilla (or other, if you have a personal favorite)

+ 3 TB Salt-Free Tomato Paste

+ 2 TB Sliced Olives (rinsed well to get excess salt off)

+ 2 TB Chopped Sweet Onion

+ 1/4 Tsp Dried Oregano

Directions:

+ To make the white bean spread, got a food processor. Add in you beans, basil, and spices. Blend until you get a spreadable smooth mixture.

+ To make the pepperoni, in a medium bowl, add the mushrooms and eggplant. Pour in the liquid smoke and smoked paprika. Then use your hands to rub in the mixture so everything is coated. Let sit while you preheat the oven to 350°F. Now line a baking sheet with foil and lightly oil. Place the mushrooms and eggplant slices on the sheet and roast for 10 minutes. Flip and roast for another 10. Remove and set aside.

+ Now change the oven to 415°F, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place down your tortilla (from frozen), spread on the tomato paste leaving some space around the edge of the tortilla. Then spread on all the bean mixture. Now place the mushrooms and eggplant around the pizza. Then sprinkle on the olives and onion. Finally, shake on the oregano. Now place in the oven and cook for 12-15 minutes until the edges of the tortilla begin to brown. Remove and enjoy!

I love making my own pizzas. Now the blog is up to 4! This one, my Sprouted Lentil Butternut Squash one, Roasted Vegetable, and Chicken Meatball! One for every type of eater 🙂 No matter which way you spread it, top it, slice it, pizza is always a winner 😉 (As long as it does not include hair!). Happy Pizza Eating my friends!

I have another steller recipe to share with y’all today! I was a little worried about this one, but fear not! No worrying was necessary. I had been craving pizza again, well maybe it was more of a craving for a crunchy brown rice tortilla with tomato paste (so good!), but I wanted to make it a substantial dinner. I have also been intrigued by ground chicken. So gross, but very versatile. It could be used for burgers, sauces, stir frys, or pizza! Thus, I chose the latter. Of course you can make your own ground chicken, but that is rather difficult so I took the plunge and found some clean lean ground chicken at the grocery.

My mom was a bit skeptical when I told her I was going to try my hand at meatballs. She assumed this wouldn’t work because I wouldn’t be using eggs. Well, ha, no one needs eggs. Get with the times! I used a much better, vegan, healthier replacement with the wonderful flax egg! Vegan seed eggs are really wondrous. Flax and Chia both have so many health benefits and they have the magical powers of creating the gooeiness and binding power of a real egg.

Along with this personal pizza, I included my belived tomato paste (so much better than tomato sauce) and hummus! You can choose any hummus flavor you want but I had a roasted red pepper one on hand and it was phenomenal on this pizza. It gave it extra protein power and extra spectacular flavor! I still need to to making my own homemade hummus. I have so many flavor ideas in my head, now I just need to put them into action!

You know what goes well with hummus. Not just well but great? VEGGIES! Why of course. So next on the wonderful list of ingredients for this pizza I added some sliced eggplant, mushrooms, and carrots. O the joy! All lightly roasted when the pizza cooks in the oven. Really this is just a pie and wonder and happiness. Well rounded with healthy carbs, fats, and protein! It is perfectly filling and satisfying along with a side salad for a great dinner.

+ For the Meatballs: In a small bowl, combine the flax seed and water. Let sit for 5 minutes until it gels. In a large bowl combine the ground chicken and spices along with the flax egg. Use you hands and mix everything together. Make sure it is all equally incorporated.

+ Preheat your oven to 350°F. Then lightly grease a baking pan and form about 9 to 10 balls (about 2 TB each) with the chicken mixture. Place them evenly on the pan and bake for 34 minutes.

+ To Assemble the Pizza: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Then place your tortilla down, apply the tomato paste, hummus, eggplant, carrots, and mushrooms, oregano, and crushed red pepper in that order. Then cut your meatballs and place them on top of everything.

+ Bake your pizza for 15 to 16 minutes at 350°F. Remove and enjoy!

Ta Da! See, there was no need to worry! I feel pretty confident with ground chicken now. Next up I need to try making chicken burgers. I have mastered the veggieburger so this should be similar…right? Another cooking method that I want to try with either chicken or fish is poaching! I keep seeing all these delicious poached salmon recipes and I really want to try it. But I am just so scared it won’t cook right and I will die. Same thing with grilling. I said I have been craving grilled chicken, but still I don’t know how long it should cook. Like I am the girl who cooks her fish and chicken way over just because I am horrified of dieing from undercooked meats. But I don’t care, I like over cooked salmon 😉 I just have to keep trying new methods though. I know what properly cooked fish and chicken are supposed to look like, so…And meat thermometers, come on! They never work! Something could be 500 degrees and it would read 100. The only way to get an accurate reading is if you have a really think piece of meat. Or maybe I just need a better thermometer…

So tell me:

+ Have you ever worked with ground chicken?

+ How did you learn to cook with meats? I just know how to cook fish now from frozen fish packages and asking the butcher. For chicken I sought help form my mom. But I always find it comforting when baking or making pancakes and how I never have to worry about under cooked eggs 😉 The perks of being a semi-vegan, eh?

Did you eat Macaroni and Cheese as a kid? Well that is a silly questions, of course you did! Who didn’t? And I am sure you still enjoy it on occasion, right? It pretty much is the quintessential kid food, am I right? Quick and easy to throw on the table on a busy day. Unless you had one of those food loving moms or grandmas that would make homemade mac and cheese baked in the oven with mass amounts of gooey cheese, breadcrumbs, the works. All bubbly and browned to perfection. Well I know I didn’t, but I was just fine with my fake powdered cheese packets dumped in to the pot after my cardboard box pasta was cooked 😉 A little splash of milk and it was ready to eat. And we can’t forget to mention the innovative shapes and colored mac and cheeses used as a ploy by marketing to get a mother’s child to jump up and down in the grocery until they bought their Spongebob shaped mac and cheese. I know, the good old days, right? I was also one of those kids that enjoyed some ketchup on my macaroni and cheese as well. Haha, that is nutrition right there!

Well don’t worry, now that we know the scary things that are used to manufacture those wonderful boxes of chemical, man-made, “cheese” and noodles, we can remedy the situation. You can have you mac and cheese and eat it too! Most importantly you can have your non-gmo, clean, real-food, gluten-free, soy-free, vegan mac and cheese and eat it too! Haha, I know I am excited too! However, let’s make things more interesting and not use a traditional pasta or just plain old vegan cheese. No. Let’s make this a fancy grown-up side dish delicacy packed with wholesome ingredients and nutrition.

Full of warm roasted veggies, including eggplant, artichokes, portobello mushrooms, and pearl onions. With our superfood base ingredient of quinoa. That little powerful seed of gluten-free protein happiness. All mixed together with the wonderful nutty cheezy taste from my favorite, nutritional yeast!

Cheezy Roasted Vegetable Quinoa

Ingredients: (serves 4-6)

For the Roasted Vegetables:

+ 9oz of (Thawed) Frozen Sliced Artichoke Hearts

+ 2 Cups of Sliced Eggplant

+ 2 Medium Portobello Mushroom Caps (sliced)

+ 6 Pearl Onions (peeled and roughly chopped)

+ 1/4 Tsp Black Pepper

+ 1/4 Tsp Garlic Powder

For the Quinoa:

+ 1 Cup Dry Quinoa (+2 Cups Water for Cooking)

+ 1/4 Cup Nutritional Yeast

+ 1 Tsp Turmeric

+ 1/2 Tsp Smoked Paprika

+ 1 Tsp Dijon Mustard

+ 1 Tsp Chopped Chives

+ 1 TB Dried Parsley

Directions:

+ For the roasted vegetables, preheat the oven to 415°F. Prep all the veggies and spread them out on a foiled and lightly oiled baking sheet. Toss the veggies with the pepper and garlic and roast for 20 minutes, stirring half-way through.

+ For the quinoa, rinse off your quinoa under cold water, bring a large pot of 2 cups of water to a boil, add the quinoa and cook for about 15 minutes or until all water is absorbed.

+ When the quinoa is done, add in the roasted veggies, nutritional yeast, turmeric, parsley, smoked paprika, Dijon, and chives. Give everything a good stir until everything is coated and incorporated.

Grown-up “mac and cheese”? I think yes!

This was so delicious and also perfect the next day reheated! Great for a quick lunch option or a side dish to dinner. Or It could be a dinner within itself 😉 You may not be able to stop eating it. I had this three days straight it was so good!

The only thing I did not do was add ketchup! Hm….I may have to test that out 😉 Then we will really be talkin’!